The Sultana's Last Voyage

The Sultana's Last Voyage (HM1YO2)

Location: Vicksburg, MS 39183 Warren County
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Country: United States of America
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N 32° 21.052', W 90° 53.038'

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Inscription
The Sultana, a side-wheel steamboat built in Cincinnati in 1863, was 260 long and was designed to carry only 376 people along with its cargo.

On April 24, 1865, the Sultana docked in Vicksburg to pick up Union soldiers recently released from Confederate prisons. The Federal Government paid steamboat lines $5 per soldier for the trip to Cairo, Illinois.

Prior to its arrival in Vicksburg, it was discovered that one of the four boilers was leaking. Instead of taking the time to replace the boiler, and perhaps lose the commission to ferry the men, a metal patch was placed over the bulge in the boiler. The time that it took to make repairs allowed for more soldiers to crowd onto the decks of the boat until it overflowed with more than 2,300 souls.

The Sultana made several stops along its northward journey up the Mississippi. When it was 7 miles north of Memphis in the early morning hours of April 27, three of the four boilers exploded. Over 1,700 people were killed in the explosion, the fire that followed, and in the swift flood waters of the Mississippi.

    Sponsored by The J. Mack Gamble Fund of The Sons and Daughters of Pioneer Rivermen, The Friends and Descendants of the Sultana
Details
HM NumberHM1YO2
Tags
Year Placed2005
Placed ByThe City of Vicksburg Riverfront Mural Committee
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Thursday, June 1st, 2017 at 5:01pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)15S E 699125 N 3581295
Decimal Degrees32.35086667, -90.88396667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 32° 21.052', W 90° 53.038'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds32° 21' 3.12" N, 90° 53' 2.28" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)601
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling South
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 1200-1298 Levee St, Vicksburg MS 39183, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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